Plant Head – Leading Alloy Wheels Manufacturing Company – Chennai

Job Description

Position: Plant Head – Operations
Industry: Automotive / Alloy Wheels Manufacturing
Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Experience: 15–20 Years

Qualification: B.E. / B.Tech – Mechanical / Production / Industrial Engineering

Job Summary

We are looking for an experienced plant head to lead overall plant operations for an alloy wheel manufacturing facility. The candidate will be responsible for production, quality, maintenance, supply chain, safety, cost optimization, and operational excellence while ensuring achievement of business targets.

Key Responsibilities

1. Lead and manage end-to-end plant operations, ensuring production targets, quality standards, and delivery commitments.

2. Oversee alloy wheel manufacturing processes, including:

   • Aluminum melting and casting

   • Low Pressure Die Casting (LPDC)

   • Heat Treatment

   • Grinding and Finishing

   • Painting / Powder Coating

   • Quality Inspection and Testing

3. Drive productivity improvement, operational efficiency, and manufacturing cost reduction.

4. Ensure effective utilization of manpower, machinery, materials, and other resources.

5. Monitor production KPIs such as OEE, rejection, cycle time, productivity, and on-time delivery.

6. Ensure implementation of Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, 5S, TPM, and Six Sigma initiatives.

7. Lead Quality Assurance and Quality Control activities to achieve zero-defect manufacturing.

8. Coordinate with Maintenance teams to ensure machine availability and minimize breakdowns.

9. Ensure compliance with IATF 16949, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and customer-specific requirements.

10. Develop and implement annual operating plans, budgets, and capacity expansion strategies.

11. Lead and develop departmental heads and drive a strong performance-oriented culture.

12. Handle customer audits, supplier coordination, and customer-related quality issues.

13. Ensure statutory compliance, EHS standards, and workplace safety across the plant.

Desired Candidate Profile

• 15–20 years of experience in automotive manufacturing, preferably alloy wheel manufacturing.

• Strong exposure to aluminium alloy wheel manufacturing processes.

• Experience in LPDC, CNC machining, heat treatment, and surface finishing.

• Proven experience in managing complete plant operations.

• Strong knowledge of IATF 16949, Lean Manufacturing, TPM, and continuous improvement.

• Excellent leadership, people management, analytical, and decision-making skills.

• Experience handling large-scale manufacturing operations and cross-functional teams.